How to Enable Secure Boot on Windows 11: A Complete Guide

Learn how to enable Secure Boot on Windows 11 to enhance system security and ensure compatibility with modern games like Battlefield 6. Step-by-step guide with GPT and TPM checks included.

Secure Boot is a vital security feature built into modern PCs that helps protect your system from malware by only allowing trusted software to run during startup. With the rise of large-scale games and professional software demanding higher security standards, enabling Secure Boot has become essential not only for protecting your PC but also for ensuring compatibility with software like Windows 11, Battlefield 6, and other demanding applications.

In this post, EaseUS Software covers a step-by-step guide on how to enable Secure Boot on Windows 11, including its prerequisites and why the Secure Boot state is unsupported.

3 Prerequisites to Enable Secure Boot on Windows 11

Before enabling Secure Boot, make sure your system meets these requirements. Only when your PC meets the following three demands, can you enable Secure Boot:

1️⃣UEFI Boot Mode Enabled

Secure Boot works only when your PC boots in UEFI mode, not Legacy BIOS or CSM mode.

2️⃣System Disk Partitioned as GPT

Secure Boot requires the system disk to use the GPT partition style rather than MBR.

Check here to learn how to check if your disk is GPT or MBR:

• Press Win + X and select Disk Management.
• Right-click the system disk and choose Properties.
• Go to the Volumes tab and check the Partition style. It will show either GUID Partition Table (GPT) or Master Boot Record (MBR).

• ✔️Compatibility: Works well on Windows 11/10/8/7
• ✔️Conversion speed: Fast
• ✔️Support the system disk and the data disk
• ✔️Data loss: No

Quick steps to convert MBR to GPT:

Step 1. Open EaseUS Partition Master and go to the Disk Convert section; select MBR to GPT and locate the target disk.

Step 2. Click "Convert" to start and wait for it to complete. It won't take a long time.

3️⃣TPM 2.0 Enabled

Trusted Platform Module 2.0 is a hardware component needed to support Secure Boot and Windows 11 security features.

How to check if TPM 2.0 is enabled:

• Press Win + R, type tpm.msc, and press Enter to open the TPM Management console.
• Check the Status section: if it says "The TPM is ready for use," TPM is enabled.
• Also, verify the Specification Version is 2.0 at the bottom right corner to ensure TPM 2.0 is active.

Now, everything is ready. Let's proceed to enable Secure Boot on your Windows 11 PC. Please share this post to help more users understand the prerequisites for enabling Boot Secure on Windows 11.

How to Enable Secure Boot on Windows 11

In this part, we'll show how to enable Secure Boot. During the process, you can set the boot mode to UEFI and enable TPM 2.0 if necessary.

Step 1. Enter BIOS/UEFI Settings

Restart your PC and press the BIOS key (usually Delete, F2, or F10) during boot. (It varies from manufacturers and versions)

Refer to the links to some of the various manufacturers' guides:

Step 2. Switch to UEFI Mode

Locate the Boot settings and change the boot mode from Legacy/CSM to UEFI.

Step 3. Enable Secure Boot

Find the Secure Boot option under the Security or Boot tab and set it to Enabled.

Step 4. Enable TPM 2.0 (if needed)

Check the Security tab to enable TPM 2.0 (may be called PTT or fTPM on some devices).

• Save and Exit BIOS
• Save changes and reboot your PC.

Step 5. Verify Secure Boot Status

In Windows, press Win + R, type msinfo32, and check the "Secure Boot State" line — it should say "On".

Why Secure Boot State May Show as Unsupported

Some users report that they received Secure Boot State: Unsupported error. The root reason is that your device doesn't meet the three prerequisites for Secure Boot, such as:

• Boot mode is still Legacy or CSM instead of UEFI.
• Your system disk uses MBR partition style. (You need to convert the disk from MBR to GPT.)
• TPM 2.0 is disabled or not present on your device.
• Your motherboard firmware (BIOS) may need updating to support Secure Boot properly.

Please share this post with others so they can learn how to resolve the Boot Secure state unsupported error.

Conclusion

Enabling Secure Boot on Windows 11 not only strengthens your system's security but also ensures compatibility with modern games and software requiring higher protection standards. By confirming your system meets the prerequisites and following the BIOS setup steps, you can easily enable Secure Boot and enjoy a safer, more compatible PC environment.

There are some related topics that you might be concerned about. Read them if you need more details.

FAQs About Windows 11 Boot Secure

1. How do I check if Secure Boot is enabled on my PC?

To check if Secure Boot is enabled, press WIN + R to open a Run dialog, type msinfo32, and press Enter to open System Information. Then, look for "Secure Boot State."

2. Can I enable Secure Boot without reinstalling Windows?

Yes, as long as your system uses UEFI and GPT partitions, and TPM 2.0 is enabled, you can enable Secure Boot without reinstalling.

3. Is it good or bad to enable Boot Secure on Windows 11?

Enabling Secure Boot in Windows 11 is a good idea. It ensures that only trusted software runs when the computer starts up, improving system security and preventing malicious programs from infecting it. For most users, the default setting is the safest option and does not affect performance. However, if you need to start up an old system or certain incompatible software, you may need to temporarily disable it.

4. Does Secure Boot affect PC performance?

No, Secure Boot only runs during the boot process and does not impact system speed or application performance.